* Politico…

Longtime lobbyist and Democratic political adviser Dan Shomon has severed his contract with the city of Aurora due to Mayor Richard Irvin’s Republican bid for governor.

“I’m really proud of all that our team at Dan Shomon Inc. has accomplished for the City of Aurora and its citizens on many fronts,” Shomon said in a statement to Playbook. “Our team worked with the excellent group of local legislators and Governor Pritzker last year to extend the River Edge Redevelopment Zone Act. During our service to Aurora over many years, we have also helped bring tens of millions of dollars in projects to the city.”

Shomon’s firm has lobbied for Aurora for more than 15 years and in December saw his contract renewed to the tune of $9,300 per month.

Wondered if that was gonna happen.

* Seems a bit chaotic over there…

Is there anyone in the Effingham area that can grab some petitions from a friend and then drive through Greenville and…

Posted by Thomas DeVore on Wednesday, March 9, 2022

* This line by Rep. Tom Demmer about his Democratic opponent for state treasurer’s mention of taxing retirement income prompted some very loud boos in the audience on Monday…

My opponent, Mike Frerichs, sponsored every tax increase he ever came across in Springfield. And he took it a step further in 2020 when he called for a discussion of taxing retirement income in Illinois. Do we want to lose more people to other states?

Then again, there were a lot of retirement-aged folks in that audience.

* If he’s telling the truth, Republican US Senate candidate Bobby Piton is apparently trying to be last on the ballot because he hasn’t yet filed…

We the People provided my campaign over 6,990 signatures, signed and notarized!

Your partnership in this race for a U.S. Senate Seat is crucial to the fight for election integrity, battling government overreach and protecting freedom in Illinois and in the nation. I want to encourage you to get even more involved.

Rest assured, my loyalty is to We the People of Illinois, not the corrupt political parties, the lobbyists or the donor-class, snake oil salesmen.

We the People can disrupt the corruption here in Illinois and lead the way for the rest of the nation to follow. Are you in?

If you still have petitions to turn in, please get them in before March 10th. If you can help financially, here’s the link:

THANK YOU for all your support during this important phase of OUR campaign! We’re in this together, for Illinois and our freedom.

Much Love and Appreciation!

* Daily Herald…

Illinois Sen. John Connor, a Lockport Democrat, is not seeking reelection in the 43rd District, leaving the seat open. Rachel Ventura, a Joliet Democrat and Will County Board member, and Eric Matteson, a Joliet firefighter, seek their party’s nomination in the primary. Republican Michelle Lee of Shorewood also has filed for the open seat.

In House District 97, Michelle Smith of Plainfield and Thomas McCullagh of Shorewood are seeking a seat left open by Rep. Mark Batinick, a Plainfield Republican, who is not seeking reelection. Democrat Harry Benton of Plainfield also has filed for House District 97.

In House District 77, incumbent Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison is being challenged in the Democrat primary by Norma Hernandez of Melrose Park.

In Senate District 21, Naperville Democrat Sen. Laura Ellman, who was elected in 2018, filed for reelection. Republican Kathleen Murray of Lombard also filed for the same seat.

Norma Hernandez is backed by US Rep. Chuy Garcia.

* More in a seemingly endless list of dueling endorsements in a Democratic primary race for the right to run in a Republican House district…

Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, a Democratic candidate for Illinois State Representative in District 51, announces that she is being endorsed by U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider (D- 10). After collecting 1,100 signatures, Laliberte Barnes officially filed as a candidate Monday in Springfield. Since announcing her run in August 2021, Chelsea has recruited 50 volunteers, raised $75,000, and knocked on over 5,000 doors, all while raising a toddler, running a small business, serving as the Board Chair for two nonprofits, and supporting families as a clinical social worker

And…

Rolling Meadows Mayor Joe Gallo announced his support for Nabeela Syed, candidate for State Representative in Illinois’s 51st House District.

“We need passionate advocates that will fight for our community in Springfield, bringing vital resources back to Rolling Meadows and the working families that live here,” Gallo stated in his endorsement of Syed. “Nabeela is clearly someone who cares deeply about local issues and the concerns of area residents, including property taxes and public safety concerns.”

I just don’t get it, but it’s a free country.

* More…

* Billionaire-Backed Group Enlists Trump-Supporting Citizens to Hunt for Voter Fraud Using Discredited Techniques: VoteRef, records show, is an initiative of the conservative nonprofit group Restoration Action and its related political action committee, both led by Doug Truax, an Illinois insurance broker and podcaster who ran unsuccessfully in the state’s GOP primary for the U.S. Senate in 2014. A ProPublica review found that VoteRef’s origins and funders are closely linked to a super PAC predominantly funded by billionaire Richard Uihlein, founder of the mammoth Wisconsin-based packaging supply company Uline.

* IL-14: So who is Jaime Milton of Fox River Grove who filed for Congress Monday?